Neither laissez-faire nor prohibition: the khat regulation policy preferences of people who chew khat and local social service providers in Ethiopia

Abstract

Background

This study examines the opinions of khat-chewers and local social service providers about the current regulatory framework for khat and their preferred policy option(s).

Methods

Interviews were conducted with 102 khat-chewing individuals, five habitual groups, and ten social service providers in Jimma, Ethiopia.

Results

Most of the participants believe that neither laissez-faire nor prohibition policies are appropriate. Reasons for supporting the reform of the current laissez-faire approach include: worries about the escalating use of khat, concerns about the safety of the khat supply, the adverse effects of khat on the city’s aesthetics and hygiene, and negative impacts on economic security. Reasons for opposing the introduction of a policy of prohibition include: prohibition would be counterproductive, and it would undermine the socioeconomic significance of khat. However, the study participants did suggest several regulatory activities, which can be thematized into primary and secondary preventive strategies.

Conclusion

The preferred regulatory approaches include addressing the structural causes of (problematic) khat use, empowering khat-chewers with awareness about appropriate use, managing the supply of khat, and restricting the age of users and place of use. These regulations are intended to reduce supply, demand and harm, and they depict the khat problem as a complex system.

Keywords:

• Khat
• Catha edulis
• khat regulation
• khat policy
• khat prohibition

Acknowledgements

We would like to express our gratitude to the participants for their keen interest and the time they devoted to taking part in the study. We are also thankful to the NASCERE project, Ghent University and Jimma University for supporting the study.

Disclosure statement

The author reports that there are no competing interests to declare.

Data availability statement

The dataset is not publicly available. Contact the author for further information about the data.

Notes

1 Khat chewing usually takes place in a group. We recruited some existing groups of khat chewers for the interviews, and hence we labelled the method ‘habitual group interview’.

2 A youth-led political movement that began in 2015 among the Oromo people of Ethiopia to advocate for land rights and fair political representation. The movement involved road blockades, business closures, and demonstrations. The protests were usually met with violent responses from the police, resulting in the deaths of thousands of participants over the years. The sustained protests ultimately led to political reforms in 2018, including the coming to power of Abiy Ahmed as the Prime Minister of Ethiopia.

3 Bajaj three-wheelers have gained immense popularity as a preferred transportation option in the city. Driving these three-wheelers has emerged as a major employment sector, especially for young people.

4 People chew only the young leaves of a khat bundle, and they usually dispose of the hard leaves and twigs in public places and open fields.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the NASCERE project, Jimma University, and Ghent University.